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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

In honor of the 20th
anniversary of ‘Menace II Society,’ I proudly present this multipart retrospective.The current chapter is posted below.To read the previous chapter, please click here.Thank you, and enjoy!

The screenplay for Menace
II Society offered a bold and timely vision of life in the “hood.”However, America was in no condition to
receive such a harsh message.It was the
early 1990’s, and the age of “political correctness” was just getting underway.Activists and watchdog groups aggressively
pushed their respective agendas.Public
schools and workplaces implemented programs that taught “tolerance,” and “cultural
diversity.”The Black consciousness
movement in Hip-Hop was reaching ebb tide.The Fox network became a haven for shows aimed at African American viewers.
Anything not seen as “progressive” in
some way would was looked upon harshly.

Then, on April 29th, 1992, the delicate façade
came crashing down.The four LAPD
officers charged with assault and use of excessive force in the beating of
motorist Rodney King received a full acquittal.Immediately thereafter, the long-simmering anger of Black Angelenos boiled
over into the streets. Everything culminated in a full scale riot that lasted
six days.When the dust settled, nothing
had changed.Politicians made empty
promises while city government made half-assed concessions.In such a climate, a film like Menace II Society would be seen as
socially irresponsible.Tyger Williams’ manager
became the first of many dissenting voices.He refused to send the screenplay out to anyone.

Meanwhile, the Hughes Brothers were already building an
impressive body of work. By age 19, they
were making rap videos.To call them
prolific would’ve been an understatement.Allen estimates that he and Albert must’ve directed around 30 videos during
that time.Such talents were heavily
utilized by the stalwarts of Oakland’s diverse Hip-Hop scene, particularly Too
$hort and Digital Underground.By 1991,
$hort was signed to a major label and had released two platinum selling
albums.Digital Underground had also
found Platinum success with their P-Funk influenced brand of rap music.It was through Digital Underground that the Hughes
brothers met the group’s colorful young “roadie.”

The Hughes Brothers (Far left and far right) with Tupac (Shirtless and wearing jewelry).

The “roadie” in question was an east coast transplant with a
turbulent past. Though He was a native
of Harlem, NY, Oakland had always been his spiritual home.His mother, Afeni Shakur, was a member of The
Black Panther party in her younger days.She was eventually tried by New York State as one of the “Panther 21.”She met fellow Panther Bill Garland (A member
of the Jersey City chapter) at a “strategy officer’s meeting.”The resulting love connection brought Lesane
Parish Crooks into the world.Lesane’s
name was later changed to one with historical significance: Tupac Amuru
Shakur.The world would come to know him
simply as 2Pac.

Tupac’s childhood became increasingly unstable as his mother
struggled with drug addiction.At age
13, he moved to Baltimore, MD.There, he
attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.Acting, poetry, and dance became a part of his repertoire.Had he remained in Baltimore, he might’ve
become a true renaissance man.Alas, two
years later, he was shipped off to Marin City, CA.While there, he formed a rap group called
Strictly Dope.Atron Gregory signed the
group, and introduced Tupac to Digital Underground.The rest, as they say, is history.

Tupac (Lower right hand corner) with Digital Underground.

By the time the Hughes Brothers got to know Tupac, he was
enjoying his first taste of true celebrity. He was featured guest on Digital Underground’s
1991 single “Same Song.”Though catchy,
his verse didn’t belie the early makings of a superstar.It was fairly light hearted, containing none
of the emotional complexity he would eventually come to be known for.After becoming friends with Allen Hughes, Pac
commissioned the twins to make a couple of videos for him.The first was “Trapped.”The Second was “Brenda's Got a Baby.”They were the first two singles from his 1991
debut LP 2Pacolypse Now.In hindsight, the pairing of Tupac and the
Hughes Brothers should have been a match made in heaven.Unfortunately,
the Universe had other plans.

Around this time, producer Darin Scott had been working on a
project with New Line Cinema.It never materialized.However, he had another ace up his sleeve.By serving as producer on the video for
“Brenda’s Got a Baby,” he’d developed a relationship with the Hughes
brothers.After reading the script for Menace, he passed it on to Robert Shaye,
the head of New Line Cinema.Shaye put
it into “weekend reading.”When he
finally got around to reading it, he was reportedly driven to tears.Just like that, Menace II Society had found a home.In hindsight, it was inevitable.New Line had become a haven for Black
cinema.They’d already released films
such as House Party (1990) and Deep Cover (1992).

Alas, it wouldn’t exactly be smooth sailing from that point
on.New Line agreed to make the film under
one condition: A platinum recording artist had to be cast as the lead.This had become standard practice for Black
films in the wake of New Jack City
and Boyz n the Hood.Allen immediately thought of Tupac.It was a rather odd choice, given that Pac wasn’t
a platinum recording artist at the time.2Pacalypse Now took more than
three years to be certified gold by the RIAA.(His 1993 sophomore album, Strictly
4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., faired a bit better.It achieved that same milestone within months of release.)Shakur had ample street buzz, but he hadn’t yet
broken through to the mainstream.Never
the less, Allen chose him for the lead.While certainly in keeping with the film’s vision, Allen’s casting
choice would have drastic repercussions.

About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Scott Wilson, deep thinker and blogger extraordinaire. I'm also a published author and proud father. Last but certainly not least, I'm a single (IE Available), but I'm definitely looking to change that. My life is an ongoing work in progress, and I'm always looking to improve.